Pork and candy; bourbon and bacon. What a twisted, wonderful cookbook “Winter Cocktails” is. Oh, it has your mulled ciders and eggnogs.

What a twisted, wonderful cookbook “Winter Cocktails” is. Oh, it has your mulled ciders and eggnogs. But you can find those anywhere.

A Golden Hog cocktail garnished with bacon is what this golden age of drinks is all about. And “Winter Cocktails,” written by Maria del Mar Sacasa and photographed by Tara Striano (Quirk Books, $22.95), is on board.

Along the way, the author explains why making your own juices is better than buying a bottle or can.

“The fruit will break down and froth exquisitely, and nothing compares to its freshness.”

Of course, no drink deserves to be served alone so there are party snacks and other fare to go with the clever cocktails and classic drink recipes.

Golden Hog

1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Simple syrup, to taste (see note)

6 ounces Bacon-Infused Bourbon, divided use (see recipe)

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Crushed ice

Candied bacon, for garnish (see recipe)

Pulse pineapple and vanilla in a food processor until no pineapple bits remain and mixture is frothy. Add simple syrup, to taste. Transfer half the mixture to a shaker and add 3 ounces of the bourbon and 1 dash of the bitters. Shake vigorously and pour into two ice-filled glasses. Repeat with remaining pineapple mixture, bourbon, bitters and ice. Garnish with candied bacon and serve.

Note: Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Cool and store for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Makes 4 servings.

Bacon-Infused Bourbon

1 pound bacon, chopped

1 (750-milliliter) bottle bourbon

Use heavily smoked bacon to fully imbue the bourbon with its flavor. Mildly smoked bacon will be masked by the spirit.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and pour fat into a large bowl. Reserve bacon for another use.

Let fat cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes, and then pour 1/2 cup of it into a wide-mouth, 1-quart jar. Add bourbon, seal jar and freeze for at least 6 hours. Using a spoon, scrape off and discard the fat.

Strain bourbon through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl. Pour bourbon through a funnel into its original bottle or store in another jar.

Makes 1 (750-milliliter) bottle.

Note: The process of infusing bacon into bourbon is called “fat washing,” because rendered bacon fat is “washed” in bourbon for a few hours to permeate it with flavor. Try it in Planter’s Punch for a novel spin on the original rum.

Candied Bacon

16 strips thick-cut bacon

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (see note)

Adjust two oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 400. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil, then arrange 8 strips of bacon on each.

In small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cumin and Aleppo pepper. Rub sugar mixture over both sides of bacon. Bake, turning once halfway through cooking, until bacon is crisp and golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheet to cooling rack and cool bacon to room temperature.

Make-ahead tip: Prepare the bacon up to one day in advance and store, refrigerated, in a single layer in an airtight container. Before serving, warm on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes.

Note: Aleppo is type of crushed red pepper native to Syria and available at specialty markets.